Swedish minister defends her role in female circumcision art cake

Sweden’s minister for culture, Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth, has faced criticism after photos were released of her slicing into a cake formed into a stereotypical image of a black woman meant to symbolize female circumcision in Africa.

The performance piece, which was part of World Art Day at the Moderna Museet in Sweden, included a portion where Liljeroth fed pieces of the cake’s “genitalia” to the artist Makode Aj Linde as he pushed his face up through the table while wearing blackface makeup designed to make him appear as a woman.

Linde moans as if in pain while Liljeroth and others in the audience laugh and cheer. You can see video of the performance piece here. (Warning: may be disturbing to some viewers.)

In Africa an estimated 92 million girls 10 years-old and above have undergone the procedure that can cause severe bleeding, problems with urination, cysts, infections, infertility and complications in childbirth. It is often performed by other women, some of whom also cheer and celebrate.

The African Swedish National Association, have called for Liljeroth’s resignation over the piece. Liljeroth has declined and wrote on a government website defending her participation that “art must be allowed to provoke.”

I am the first to agree that Makode Linde’s piece is highly provocative since it deliberately reflects a rasist (sic)stereotype. But the actual intent of the piece – and Makode Linde’s artistry – is to challenge the traditional image of racism, abuse and oppression through provocation. While the symbolism in the piece is despicable, it is unfortunate and highly regrettable that the presentation has been interpreted as an expression of racism by some. The artistic intent was the exact opposite.

As Minister for Culture it is my responsibility to safeguard the conditions for and independence of art and culture. At the same time, it is also my job to uphold the democratic values that counter racism, intolerance and xenophobia. …

It is perfectly obvious that my role as minister differs from that of the artist. Provocation can not and should not be an expression for those who have the trust and responsibility of Government representative. I therefore feel it is my responsibility to clarify that I am sincerely sorry if anyone has misinterpreted my participation and I welcome talks with the African Swedish National Association on how we can counter intolerance, racism and discrimination.

Linde, who is of mixed African and Swedish heritage, has also defended his work saying its purpose is to create a new historical context for racist imagery such as blackface by over-exaggerating such images. He also says the work was taken out of context, which has led to the outrage. You can see an interview with the artist and Robert Mackey of the NY Times Lede blog here:

Johan Palme speculates for the blog Africa is a Country, that the photo of a grinning white woman feeding an exaggerated image of a black woman a symbolic piece of her own mutilated body may be part of the overall context of the piece. He calls the piece a “very efficient mousetrap.”

I’m left wondering – whatever the artist himself says – if the intended artwork here is not the cake, nor the performance, but the picture. Because what Makode Linde and Marianne Lindberg De Geer (a visual artist, provocateur and fierce critic of Liljeroth who was also present) have produced is a picture which is incredibly powerfully laden with symbolism of colonial exploitation.
The all-white crowd, laughing bayingly and taking pictures while the African Other screams in anguish.
The cemented association between racist stereotyping and the haute bourgeoisie, as Johan Wirfält writes.